


Not Too Much To Ask

by der_tanzer



Category: Riptide (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2016-08-27
Packaged: 2018-08-11 09:03:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7884967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/der_tanzer/pseuds/der_tanzer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's too much to expect, but it doesn't hurt to ask.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Too Much To Ask

**Author's Note:**

  * For [valis2](https://archiveofourown.org/users/valis2/gifts).



Later Nick wouldn’t be able to say just what it was that woke him. The boat was quiet and no light shone in the cabin he and Cody shared. Even in the dark, though, he knew he was alone. He could feel Cody’s absence, a yawning emptiness beside him where the sheet was thrown back and the mattress seemed to radiate a chill in the otherwise stuffy space. The chill ran up Nick’s arm and down his spine, spreading terror in its wake. His body, already sore and stiff, broke out in cold sweat and began to shake, though his mind remained frozen.

“Cody?” he whispered, and the sound of his own voice broke the paralysis. He got up as quickly as his aching muscles would allow and limped to the door. He hadn’t heard it close; that wasn’t what woke him. Somehow he knew that Cody had been gone much longer than that. Nick went out into the passage where a sliver of light from above led him up to the galley. There he found Cody sitting at the table, sipping iced tea and staring out the window at the harbor. Cody turned toward the sound of his steps and Nick’s heart broke anew at the sight of his bruised, swollen face. The moonlight glowed on the tight skin around his black eyes, giving Nick a whole new understanding of why they were called ‘shiners’. Going by Cody’s expression, Nick guessed he was understanding it, too. Neither of them exactly looked their best tonight.

“What are you doing up, babe?” Cody rose as he spoke, taking three steps toward the middle of the room before Nick could get close enough to stop him.

“Looking for you. What’s going on?”

“I couldn’t sleep,” Cody said, pulling him into a gentle embrace. “Are you okay?”

“Sure,” Nick said lightly, but he repressed a groan as Cody led him to a seat. “I just woke up and you weren’t there. It freaked me out a little. What happened?”

“Nothing, I just—couldn’t sleep,” he repeated. “I tried not to wake you.” 

Nick put his arm around Cody and hugged him close, kissed the top of his head, smiled and kissed him again when Cody looked up into his face.

“Like I wouldn’t notice you were missing? Cody, man, it happens. We got beat up, okay? But we’re all right. My ankle’s barely sprained, and it’s hardly your first broken nose. The important thing is we recovered the cargo and got out alive. We even got paid, for a change.”

“Yeah, I know. I just hate it so much when you get hurt. You’re so brave, Nick, and you throw yourself into the craziest situations.”

“Hey, man…”

“No, I’m serious. I worry about you. Then I had a terrible dream and I just couldn’t lie there beside you without waking you up and—I don’t know. Making you promise not to ever get in another fight or something.”

“But you started it,” Nick said, giving him a gentle shake.

“Dick Shingles started it,” Cody said sharply.

“He hit you first and you hit him back. I was just defending you.”

“That makes it worse,” Cody sighed. “It was my fault.”

“No it wasn’t,” Nick argued.

“You just said—”

“Forget what I said. Why are you even listening to me, man? It’s the middle of the night and we both had too many beers on top of those pills from the hospital. That’s what’s freaking you out.” Nick’s voice was soft and warm, gently reassuring, as if he hadn’t woken up in a state of total freak-out himself. “Let’s go back to bed before we get Murray up, too. Someone ought to get a good night’s sleep around here.”

Cody didn’t have an argument for that. He dragged himself to his feet and helped Nick up before he could start struggling.

“Sorry I made you climb the stairs,” he said as they headed back down, leaning on each other now.

“For you I’d climb ‘em twice,” Nick grinned. “But you can rub my leg if you want to make it up to me.”

“I’ll rub anything you want,” Cody agreed. “As long as you promise not to get hit for at least two weeks.”

“I promise to try.” 

Cody took a breath, as if to renew some kind of argument, and Nick kissed him before he could speak. Cody kept trying for a moment and Nick kept kissing. Finally Cody gave in and kissed him back.


End file.
